Forbes - Six Reasons Millenials Are Actually the Best Workers

The first thing I want to do is fight back against the negative generalizations of an entire generation by providing an alternative viewpoint. The second goal of this post is to show that it is just as legitimate to look for the good traits of a generation as it is to whine about the bad traits of one. The third thing I want to show is that the information age is a revolutionary age that is changing how people think and a lot of traits that people harass millennials for are actually helping them adapt to a new paradigm.

So what are the six reasons millennials make the best workers?

It has become fashionable to trash millennials. They lack a strong work ethic, have no grit, aren’t respectful or patient, and definitely don’t understand corporate culture. It fits with how people romanticize the 1950s as the golden age of American culture, when everything was just somehow better.

I don’t know whether Gen X is just irritated they’re getting older or people are forming their opinions solely based on Buzzfeed, but I think the stereotype is wrong—dead wrong. In fact, I will go out on a limb and state that millennials may actually be the best generation of workers we’ve ever seen. And I say this having hired hundreds of new college grads—and seasoned professionals—over the past 20 years. Here’s why:

First of all, they are willing to fail and they are persistent. They may have high expectations, but they are willing to put in the work and persistence to get there.

So where some see entitlement, I see greater authenticity and audacity. Millennials will shoot for the stars—and if they fall down, they’ll get right back up and try it a different way.

Second, they do communicate differently - but this is a most definite positive because like it or not, communication is changing, and those companies and individuals who are able to adapt to those changes are going to be the new success stories. The ones who get angry at the changes are going to be left in the dust.

2. They just don’t communicate the way you do. If you’ve watched Mad Men so far this season, you’ve seen the fast-paced advertising world struggle to become more connected with innovations like . . . the speaker phone. Fast forward to today, where first-time job seekers not only understand and embrace collaborative technologies but don’t know anything different. While many offices struggle to get their workforce to embrace new services like Yammer or Basecamp, millennials have been doing those things for years. They’ve been learning with social classroom tools and chatting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram every waking hour. As a result, they actually conceive of communication in a one-to-many paradigm, which is a huge plus for companies that are spread out globally and interact primarily in a virtual environment.

A third trait is the ability to adapt to a world where things are available instantly, instead of with a long delay. This is a definite plus, although it is not as obvious. Technology is literally (as proven in research studies) rewiring the brains of millennials and they are able to tolerate a fast-paced environment while an older person may not.

3. They expect things to happen instantly. I don’t know anyone over the age of 50 who doesn’t complain about how fast the world is moving these days. However, in the case of job performance, that’s a very very good thing. Think about it. Thirty years ago everything took a lot more time. The data you needed to make critical business decisions was delivered weeks later by a mail truck. Someone had to physically be sitting in a predetermined location at the right time for you to call them on the phone. Our expectations for accomplishing tasks were, naturally, based on the resources and structures we had in place. Simply put, we moved much slower. And, God bless them, there are many professionals out there who still work the same way. Not millennial workers. With the pace of news, communication, and responsiveness nearly instant, that’s how they approach work. They know nothing else. Plus, they have the necessary tools to support them. Give a millennial employee a research assignment on your competitors and you’ll get the project back in 24 hours. Twenty years ago the same project might have taken a month to complete. One piece of advice: Just make sure you attach a deadline to the assignment.

Go to the article to read more.

Actually none of those reasons are good things.

They are good at persistently failing, can't communicate clearly and like any younger generation can adapt more easily than older people. We are really scraping the bottom of the barrel to find a reason this generation isn't a complete loss.

Now, to be fair, I know a lot of younger people under 20 that are looking like they will be successful, but they aren't technically Millennials. I imagine this gen Z group is learning from the mistakes of the Millennial generation.

a reply to: Metallicus

I imagine the next generation will be pragmatists and hard workers with low vision

originally posted by: darkbake
a reply to: Metallicus

I imagine the next generation will be pragmatists and hard workers with low vision

I am a big fan of pragmatism as it embraces logic instead of feelings.

a reply to: Metallicus

Funny, most of your post are about how you feel about xyz

a reply to: Indigent

Having an opinion is different than having feelings, but then you already knew that and were just being obtuse.

a reply to: Metallicus

Random example:

I would say I am disgusted by the man, but that would be redundant.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

not my fault you cant separate your feelings from your opinions, obtuse one

a reply to: darkbake

I'm a millennial, my generation sucks through and through. We're lazy, good for-nothing, pot-smocking, pc'ing snowflakes.

I never thought I would say this, but my generation needs a war. We're all to soft and take offence way to easily.

And have you heard the music these kids are listening to today?? What ever happened to music being an art form...
Have you seen the crappy movies made to cater to my generation.

It's like the millennials killed art...

a reply to: Metallicus

Whoosh!

a reply to: darkbake

Darkbake,

I understand what you are driving at, and in SOME fields, you are absolutely right. If a job revolves around computing, communications technology, can be done with a gadget or an app, a program or a database, yes, the Facebook generation may prove better at it than someone who is used to actually sweating for their money.

However, that sort of work is what we need LESS of in our marketplace. What we need is young people prepared to learn how to farm land, fish in the sea, butcher meat, learn the ancient arts of craftsmanship involved with carpentry, joinery, bespoke metal fabrication, welding, plumbing, high end electronics manufacture. We need lads and ladies prepared to learn REAL jobs, involving no apps, no computers, just raw, and time tested skill, learned the hard way. All of these will be necessary regardless of how fast a broadband connection gets, and all of these are under threat because they require an attention span decades long in order to be competent in them. Absolute mastery of this sort of skill is something which is rare, so they also have to be able to aim for the best, but accept their limitations, something else which is lacking in the generation you are talking about.

We need more folk prepared to learn the sort of work that widens the shoulders, stretches the chest, and makes artisans out of unmoulded youths, not the sort of person who cannot complete a task without referring to google in order to help get it done.

What you describe in your OP, is a group of people who are perfectly adapted to administrate and manage, and that is the work you only give to an idiot. The real earning force a good company has, is provided to it by grafters, skilled labourers, folks with physical and mental capacity to make things happen with their hands, not their keyboards.

a reply to: GreenGunther

Dunno what music you're listening to but folk and indie music made a massive comeback in the last 5 years or so. The only music that has seen a huge decline was pop, and that's a good thing if you are picky about music.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Then the previous generation should not have moved a lot of the 'sweating' jobs over sears or down to Mexico...
Do you know how difficult it was for me to even get an apprenticeship for welding?
I had to keep chasing my 'representative' every week for almost a year for information, then after all that I wasn't even talking to the same person I initially was setup with, SHE RETIRED AND DIDN'T TELL ME. I almost lost a years worth of hours because of this. And I am not the only one who had issues. On top of that, trying to get an employer willing to pay decent wages and not use you as slave general labour was difficult as well.

The trades are all fine jobs, but trying to progress with one is a difficult task, not because it's hard or anything, but because of the broken under funded, system.

a reply to: strongfp

Don't get me wrong, there's still good music out there.. But the mainstream is terrible, why do we have so many people supporting 'artists' that just waste oxygen? I can name names, but I think all I have to say is Justin Beiber.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Truebrit, you make an excellent point. Alas, how can a child of 16 learn those skills even I treasure?

I'm one of these "millennials" and when I left school I learned the art of bricklaying... In fact I never I was slowly learned how to simply lay bricks... I took "extra" time to learn more than the basics and apply artistry and skill to my work, point being I learned a hard-working trade despite the lack of teachers. Too many of our generation have lost the ability to learn these trades that are essential for an economy and nation. It really isn't our fault the education system wasn't geared up for manual trades etc. A child cannot teach nor are they capable of setting up an educational insitute.

Here is the kicker, I've never had the chance to practice my trade.

I ALWAYS wanted to learn these trades you speak of, heck I live in what was once possibly the greatest ship building town the world had ever seen, yet now there exists only a charity repairing old boats. I would have loved the chance to do as my forefathers done. I came from a line of ship builders, now only one ship builder I know of lives in the NE never mind my city.


It's all dead bud, if an x-class flare wiped the Earth's electronics out we are screwed, because the older generations failed to teach the young enough about trades that are necessary. Some of us millennials really wanted to learn.

The motto of my town:

Nil Desperandum, Auspice Deo.... It's fitting because nobody else will bring these trades back, most of them are dead.

originally posted by: Metallicus
Actually none of those reasons are good things.

They are good at persistently failing, can't communicate clearly

Oh go crash another housing market and blame your kids for not working.

How do you use your cellphone?

a reply to: darkbake

You know I've been thinking about this the last day or so and I've come to the conclussion people only see what their perception allows them to see.

Complaints that a generation is lost because they are snowflakes with noses stuck in social media, yet they forget they are using social media to judge them.

Complaints they achieve nothing whilst ill-remembering we inherited this world including all the faults such as coming of age in recession.

They complain we learn nothing while it was their duty to teach us and ensure we had the ability to learn.

They complain we have no respect yet it was for the old to teach us manners.

At the end of the day we were raised by people who didn't want to be like their parents and although I cannot blame my elders for that, I have grew up with perception and I have seen the faults they created sue to that. If they are disgruntled due to tbe fact we've evolved into something to be resented well then they should blame the person in the mirror.

They had every chance to mold us into any image, it just so happens they don't like what they see.

We grew up in your world... Kids, being raised by bigger kids.

a reply to: RAY1990

What they can do is this: they can get a paper round when they are thirteen, build up a little pot of money, and buy a welder later on. They can purchase or scavenge a small amount of scrap metal, use their YouTube access to watch a tutorial, and learn for themselves how it works. They can hit up their parents, or a local workshop for extra support, they can make use of any programs locally that support trades and trades education. They could make the effort to learn this stuff off their own back, so that when they hit the age of being able to take paid work, they can say to their employer "oh by the way, I haven't any qualifications, but here's where I am at with tig, mig, and so on.", showing their work on their phone camera.

The same goes for woodworking, the same goes for electronics manufacture. Hell, I am a locksmith, and I didn't learn any of that at school. I picked it up when I had been working at a retail frozen food outlet for a year already! Most of the people I know who work skilled jobs, picked them up all of a randomness, or learned outside of school. My mate Steve is a case in point. He never did a damned thing worth a crap at school, but learned about cars because he loved them at home, and now he is a mechanic. Guy can fix anything with moving parts!

Real work doesn't get taught in schools and it never did. It gets learned through interest and circumstance. There MAY be those who get qualified because they want to take their work to the next level, but no one goes to college to learn engineering unless they already have experience in it besides that which is gained in an educational setting.

a reply to: Metallicus

I see what you mean, but we raised them, so it's sort of on us isn't it?

I use to hire tons of young people for my business, good at thinking outside the box and unafraid to stand up for themselves when they thought they were being shafted.

Sure a lot of them had some issues but hey, they are young people, if we, the older generation don't help mold them into good adults and just bitch about how bad they are as kids, then again, first sentence, kinda on us.

ETA:Totally agree on the under 20 though, there's a lot of really really smart folk in that age category. It's very...whats the word..promising.

~Tenth

a reply to: TrueBrit

TrueBrit: 100% agree that college and school doesn't necessarily teach skills. They don't actually teach computer skills that well either. Self learning is good, but...

The real jobs you refer to, are they going to be around in the next 100 years?
Does society give them any respect?
And we might be under estimating the dedication required to be good at 'database' and 'app' things.
Are administrative and management the kind of work you give an idiot? I think it's that logic that gets us waves of terrible managers. We promote people who are either bad at their job or ego driven to be managers and wonder where it went wrong.

I do agree that we're bringing up nations of managers and administrators, or at least that's the goal. Companies seem to push everyone to these positions and freeze pay at a certain point. Society judges people based on rank. I think that part of the world will correct itself. Twenty years late, but will get there. It will require workers to rebel against the current promotion system to happen.

Is interesting we observe the same things but for different reasons. People who are really good at computers, management, engineering... whatever.... They're all pretty great. Personally I think the issues are:

1. Everyone has to become a manager now. It's stupid. It also rewards and encourages glib / presentation skills over hard work and results.

2. The current management generation rewards this behavior en masse. Your income freezes in technical roles even if you continue to improve.

3. Society doesn't respect hard workers in certain job roles unless you work for a big name company.

4. Older generations simply have less to share. This is not my opinion, but what can parents teach their children at the moment? They don't know anything about snap chat or revenge porn. They experience some similar things if they were at some really out of hand rock festivals, but most 12 year olds have seen more violence than 60 year old war veterans. They've spoken to more people than most people who were alive in the 1940s - 1980s. They have their own channels and news feeds that they publish to.

It isn't like the old days when the biggest complaint was 'my dad can't work the VCR.' Generations within 20 years of each other have almost nothing in common at first glance and most people don't go beyond glancing. (Special snow flake uttererers I'm looking at you.)

Was a thread recently where people were enjoying themselves about firing a bunch of millennials. Persons probably need guidance instead of a competition to see who can teach them the biggest lesson / blow up the most games consoles / publicly humiliate the most people.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Being a millennial, I've looked into these skilled jobs you mention.

Did you know you have to take four to six years college, several years of internship, several years apprenticeship, several years as a journeyman, etc.. To actually become say, an electrician?

The problem is while our fathers and grandfather's grew up just learning these skills second hand from someone else who knew how to do it - you have to have a degree for these tasks now days. I'm not intelligent in some aspects, I completely fail at writing reports and essays, history, communications, philosophy and such are not strong topics for me... Does this mean I can't under how to wire a breaker box to outlets and switches... It does not.

The problem is, the older generation and younger generations alike are putting way too much emphasis on schooling. I'd love to learn from my grandpa - he's done many, many things at an expert level.. From plumbing, electrical, welding, well drilling to carpentry, solar off grid installations, was a mechanic, etc..

But so many of those require a degree, many certifications, years and years of training after that as well. No one had to put up with this before my generation. No one had to write reports and essays on Sigmund Freud before they could be given the go-ahead to apply pipe glue and stick two pipes together.

Thoughts?

edit: USA I'm talking about, not sure if this applies elsewhere.